STUDY IN CHINA GLOBAL (SCG)Connie Chan Po-chu(陈宝珠 Chén Bǎozhū ), the “Movie-Fan Princess”, was born in 1946 to impoverished parents, one of at least nine siblings, in Guangdong, China. To increase their children’s chances of survival, Chan’s birth parents gave away some of their youngest to other families. As a result, Chan was adopted by Chan Fei-nung(陈非侬 Chén Fēinóng) and his wife, Kung Fan-hung(宫粉红 Gōng Fěnhóng), who were renowned Cantonese opera stars. During the 1960s, Connie Chan was one of Hong Kong cinema’s most beloved teen idols.
She made more than 230 films in a variety of genres: from traditional Cantonese opera and wuxia(武侠 Wǔxiá) movies to contemporary youth musicals; action films to comedies; melodramas and romances. Owing to her popularity she was dubbed “The Movie-Fan Princess”.
After an absence of more than 25 years, Connie Chan emerged from retirement in 1999 to star in a stage production based on the life of her master Yam Kim-fai(剑雪浮生 jiàn xuě fú shēng). In January 2007 she was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Hong Kong Drama Awards. The future looks very bright indeed for Hong Kong’s Movie-Fan Princess.
